Baldoyle Bay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Baldoyle Bay |
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View from Strand Road
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 Baldoyle Bay
Location in Ireland
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| Location | Fingal, Ireland |
| Nearest city | Baldoyle |
| Established | 1988 |
| Designated: | 25 October 1988 |
| Reference #: | 413 |
Baldoyle Bay is a special sea inlet on the east coast of Fingal in Ireland. It's located in the historic County Dublin. This bay sits between Portmarnock at its top end and Baldoyle where it meets the sea.
Two rivers, the Sluice and the Mayne, flow into the bay. This makes it an estuary, which is a place where fresh river water mixes with salty seawater. Baldoyle Bay is a very important natural area. It has special protected status because of its wildlife. Long ago, Vikings even used this bay for their ships!
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Where is Baldoyle Bay?
This narrow bay stretches from north to south. It reaches the sea just north of Howth Head, along a sandy area called Burrow Beach. At its northern end is Portmarnock Bridge. This is where a road from old Portmarnock meets the road from the modern Portmarnock village.
Near the bay's outlet is the old fishing village of Baldoyle. The bay is bordered by a peninsula on the sea side. This peninsula is home to the Velvet Strand, a beach once used as a runway for early airplanes. The Portmarnock Golf Club course is also here.
How to Visit Baldoyle Bay
A coastal road runs along the west and north sides of the estuary. You can get there by bus, but parking spots are few. On the east side, you can walk to the bay from the parking areas for Portmarnock's southern beaches.
There's a small green space at the northern end of the bay. It's a popular spot for birds. You can find a sign there with interesting facts about the area. There's also a walking path to the estuary from the Clongriffin area. This path crosses what used to be the Baldoyle Racecourse.
Nature in Baldoyle Bay
Baldoyle Bay is home to two small rivers. The Sluice River flows in at the northern, Portmarnock end. The Mayne River enters about halfway down the bay, near Baldoyle. Both rivers start from smaller streams in Fingal. They can sometimes cause flooding in certain areas.
Habitats and Plants
The bay has different types of wet areas. These include both freshwater and saltwater marshes. There are also raised salt marshes, muddy and sandy areas, and shallow river channels. Sand dunes help protect the bay.
Four special habitat types are found here. These are listed in the EU Habitats Directive. They include Salicornia mud, Mediterranean salt meadows, Atlantic salt meadows, and tidal mudflats. When the tide is low, much of the bay's flat areas are exposed. These are mostly sand, but some muddy parts are found deeper inside the estuary.
You can find interesting plants here. These include common cord-grass and two types of eelgrass (narrow-leafed and dwarf). In summer, you might see green algae. In the salt marsh areas, plants like sea rush, sea purslane, sea plantain, and glasswort grow.
Animals and Birds
Baldoyle Bay is a very important place for coastal wildlife. Many birds come here in winter, especially wildfowl like Brent geese. You can also see waders and other bird species.
Some birds often seen here include mallard ducks, shelducks, and great crested grebes. You might also spot pintail ducks, golden plovers, redshanks, bartailed godwits, and common scoters. In the water, you can find small creatures like tubeworms and mud shrimps.
Protected Status of Baldoyle Bay
Baldoyle Bay has several important protections. It is a Special Protection Area. This means it is cared for by the local government and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
In 1988, the inner parts of the bay were declared a Statutory Nature Reserve. This protects them as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Also, under an international agreement called the Ramsar Convention, the wetlands here are recognized as being important worldwide. They support several habitats that are listed in the EU Habitats Directive. Baldoyle Bay is also part of the larger Dublin Bay Biosphere Reserve.
History of Baldoyle Bay
The area around Baldoyle was once visited and later settled by Vikings. These "dark-haired foreigners" (Danish Vikings) found the bay perfect for their long, shallow boats. The Mayne River and other streams provided them with fresh water. Their settlement was near what later became Baldoyle village. Portmarnock grew up on the Sluice River, near the bay.
More recently, north of Baldoyle village, was the Baldoyle Racecourse. For a time, this was Dublin's main horse-racing track. Later, it was one of two major horse-racing venues in the area.
